Combination spacers and silencers for venetian blinds



A- J. FERRERA 3,159,864

COMBINATION SPACERS AND SILENCERS FOR VENETIAN mums Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 5, 1963 A mp mm W:

E C. 3 m 2 3 0 mm min .W y 2 l M We. 4

AT TOE N E (S United States Patent Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 256,354 2 Claims. Cl. 16-1) This invention relates to novel combination spacers and silencers for Venetian blinds.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of practical, and efiicient devices of the kind indicated, requiring no tools for their installation, which include means for spacing the base bars and the slats of Venetian blinds out of moving contact with the uprights of window frames, or sashes mounted therein, and means for eliminating or substantially reducing the noise otherwise made by such contacts when the blinds are swung by breezes, as well as marring of the base bars and/ or slats.

Another object of the invention is the provision of simple and inexpensive devices of the character indicated above which comprise spring wire clamps, adapted to be manually applied across the base bars of Venetian blinds, at the ends thereof, and compressible material shock and sound absorbing rollers, which have rolling contacts with the uprights of window frames or sashes.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a window structure, including a frame and sashes, and showing devices of the present invention applied to the base .bar of a Venetian blind mounted in the frame;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken through FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged perspective view of a single device, and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of FIGURE 3, with its roller partly broken away and in section.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts, throughout the several views, a window frame Iii, which has uprights 12, and contains vertically movable sashes 14 and 16, is shown, within which frame, at the inward side of the sashes, is suspended a Venetian blind 18. The Venetian blind has a rigid base bar 20, connected to the lower ends of tapes 22, and flexible slats 24 connected to the tapes above the base bar.

Ordinarily the base bar 2% and the slats 24 are free to strike against the uprights 26 of the sashes 14 and 16, when the blind is swung relative thereto, as by breezes coming throughvthe frame opening, with one or both of the sashes in open position, so that annoying noises are made and the uprights and the base bars become soiled and marred. These undesirable-conditions are eliminated by the application to the base bar 26, at the ends thereof, in line with the uprights, of devices 28, in accordance with the present invention.

Each of the devices 28 comprises a clamp 3t preferably made of a single piece-of heavy spring wire, and .a re silient noise andshock-absorbing roller 32. The clamp 30 comprises a straight horizontal upper rod 34, substantially longer than the width of the Venetian blind base bar 20, and adapted to rest conformably upon the flat upper surface 36 of the base bar, and to extend laterally ice roller 32 is journaled. As shown in FIGURE 4, the roller 32 is held in place, on the pintle 38, by means of fixed inner and outer collars 40 and 42, respectively.

The inner end of the upper clamp rod 34 merges into or is otherwise suitably connected to the upper end of a pendant perpendicular connecting rod 44, which, at its lower end, merges into or is otherwise connected to the inner end of a lower clamp rod 46. The connecting rod 44, as shown in FIGURE 2 is shorter than the thickness of the base bar 20. The lower clamp rod 46 is longitudinally and downwardly bowed, in substantial conformance to the underside of the base bar 20, which has a flat horizontal intermediate surface portion 48 and beveled outer and inner surface portions 50 and 52.

On the outer end of the lower clamp rod 46 is an upstanding terminal 54, which is somewhat longer than the connecting rod 44, and terminates, at its upper end, in a lateral downturned hook 56, which extends on the same side of the lower rod 46 as the roller 32. The connecting rod 44 and/ or the terminal 54 can bear against related side edges of the base bar 20.

The devices 28 are adapted to be applied to the base .bar 29, simply by manually springing the upper and lower clamp rods 34 and 36 away from each other far enough to admit the base bar 20 therebetween, allowing these rods to resile and engage the upper and lower surfaces of the base bar, and then forcibly engaging the hook 56 over the upper clamp rod 34, so as to clamp the base bar 20 between the clamp rods. The rollers 32 of the devices will then be engaged with the uprights of one of the window sashes, as shown in FIGURE 2, so that, in any elevated or deprmsed position of the Venetian blind 18, the base bar 20, and the slats 2-4, will be spaced out of contact with said uprights. In the event that the blind is swung inwardly away from the sash uprights, as by breezes, and returns toward the sash uprights, the shock and noise-reducing rollers 32 will contact the sash uprights, and eliminate contact of the base bars 20 and the slats 24 with the uprights and the usual noise and damage to the uprights otherwise produced.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is: i

1. A device of the character described comprising vertically-spaced upper and lower resilient rods having first and second ends, a vertical connecting rod extending between and connected to the first ends of said rods, the

second end of said lower rod being spaced inwardly from the second end of the upper rod, a shock absorber mounted on the second end of the upper rod, said lower rod having an upstanding terminal on its second end, said terminal having a lateral down-turned hook spaced above the lower rod and adapted to be engaged over the upper rod for clamping the rods against opposed sides of a member, said upper rod having a lateral horizontal pintle adjacent to its second end, on which said shock absorber is mounted, said shock absorber being circular and axially mounted on the pintle.

2. A device of the character described comprising vertically-spaced upper and lower resilient rods having first and second ends, a vertical connecting rod extending between and connected to the first ends of said rods, the second end of said lower rod being spaced inwardly from the second end of the upper rod, a shock absorber mounted on the second end of the upper rod, said lower References Cited by the Examiner rod having an upstanding terminal on its second end, said UNITED STATES PATENTS terminal having a lateral down-turned hook spaced above the lower rod and adapted to be engaged over the upper 1,296,258 3/19 Black rod for clamping the rods against opposed sides of a 5 2,435,818 2/48 CQhen 24-85 X member, said upper rod having a lateral horizontal pintle 17101059 6/55 Wllson 160177 adjacent to its second end, on which said shock absorber is mounted, said shock absorber being a roller journaled HARRISON MOSELEY 'mary Exammer' on the pintle. BEN]. BENDETT, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING VERTICALLY-SPACED UPPER AND LOWER RESILIENT RODS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, A VERTICAL CONNECTING ROD EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO THE FIRST ENDS OF SAID RODS, THE SECOND END OF SAID LOWER ROD BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE SECOND END OF THE UPPER ROD, A SHOCK ABSORBER MOUNTED ON THE SECOND END OF THE UPPER ROD, SAID LOWER ROD HAVING AN UPSTANDING TERMINAL ON ITS SECOND END, SAID TERMINAL HAVING A LATERAL DOWN-TURNED HOOK SPACED ABOVE THE LOWER ROD AND ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED OVER THE UPPER ROD FOR CLAMPING THE RODS AGAINST OPPOSED SIDES OF A MEMBER, SAID UPPER ROD HAVING A LATERAL HORIZONTAL PINTLE ADJACENT TO ITS SECOND END, ON WHICH SAID SHOCK ABSORBER IS MOUNTED, SAID SHOCK ABSORBER BEING CIRCULAR AND AXIALLY MOUNTED ON THE PINTLE. 